Furnace

ABSTRACT

A furnace includes: a furnace housing defining a combustion chamber therein, the combustion chamber having a round cross-section, the furnace housing being formed with at least two air inlets that are in fluid communication with the combustion chamber and that are angularly displaced from each other; and an air pipeline including at least two branch pipes, each of which is connected to a respective one of the air inlets of the furnace housing and each of which extends in a tangential direction relative to the cross-section of the combustion chamber.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

This invention relates to a furnace, more particularly to a furnaceincluding an air pipeline having branch pipes that extend in tangentialdirections relative to the cross-section of a combustion chamber.

2. Description of the Related Art

A conventional furnace normally includes: a furnace housing defining acombustion chamber; a feed blower; a feed pipeline connected to thefurnace housing and the feed blower for delivering a particulate rawmaterial into the combustion chamber; an air blower; and an air pipelineconnected to the air blower and the furnace housing for delivering airinto the combustion chamber during combustion of the particulate rawmaterial.

In operation, the particulate raw material is fed into the combustionchamber with assistance from an airflow generated by the feed blower.Although distribution and retention time of the particulate raw materialin the combustion chamber can be improved by another airflow generatedby the air blower, such enhancement is still insufficient.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Therefore, the object of the present invention is to provide a furnacethat can overcome the aforesaid drawback associated with the prior art.

According to the present invention, a furnace comprises: a furnacehousing defining a combustion chamber therein, the combustion chamberhaving a round cross-section, the furnace housing being formed with atleast two air inlets that are in fluid communication with the combustionchamber and that are angularly displaced from each other; and an airpipeline including at least two branch pipes, each of which is connectedto a respective one of the air inlets of the furnace housing and each ofwhich extends in a tangential direction relative to the cross-section ofthe combustion chamber.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In drawings which illustrate an embodiment of the invention,

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary partly sectional front view of the preferredembodiment of a furnace according to this invention;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary partly sectional side view of the preferredembodiment; and

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary partly sectional top view of the preferredembodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

FIGS. 1 to 3 illustrate the preferred embodiment of a furnace 2according to this invention for burning a raw material, such as hull andshell waste of agricultural crops.

The furnace 2 includes: a furnace housing 21 defining a combustionchamber 211 therein, the combustion chamber 211 having a roundcross-section, the furnace housing 21 being formed with at least two airinlets 321 that are in fluid communication with the combustion chamber211 and that are angularly displaced from each other; and an airpipeline 3 including at least two branch pipes 32, each of which isconnected to a respective one of the air inlets 321 of the furnacehousing 21 and each of which extends in a tangential direction relativeto the cross-section of the combustion chamber 211.

In this embodiment, the furnace housing 21 is formed with two pairs ofthe air inlets 321 and the air pipeline 3 includes two pairs of thebranch pipes 32. Each pair of the air inlets 321 of the furnace housing21 are diametrically displaced from each other relative to thecross-section of the combustion chamber 211.

The furnace housing 21 further has top and bottom ends 212, 213. Eachpair of the air inlets 321 of the furnace housing 21 are disposedbetween the top and bottom ends 212, 213 of the furnace housing 21 andare different in height.

The furnace housing 21 is further formed with a feed inlet 221 that isin fluid communication with the combustion chamber 211 and that isangularly displaced from one of the two pairs of the air inlets 321. Thefurnace 2 further includes a feed pipe 22 that is connected to the feedinlet 221 of the furnace housing 21 and that extends in a tangentialdirection relative to the cross-section of the combustion chamber 211.

The feed inlet 221 has a height less than that of one of the air inlets321 in one of the two pairs and greater than that of the other of theair inlets 321 in one of the two pairs. A feed blower (not shown) isconnected to the feed pipe 22 for delivering the raw material into thecombustion chamber 211.

An air blower 4 is connected to the air pipeline 3 for deliveringairflows into the combustion chamber 211 through the branch pipes 32 ofthe air pipeline 3 and the air inlets 321. By virtue of the arrangementof the air inlets 321 and the branch pipes 32, each airflow enters thecombustion chamber 211 in the respective tangential direction andtravels along a helical flow path in the combustion chamber 211, whichcan improve considerably the retention time as well as distribution ofthe particulate raw material suspended in the combustion chamber 211 ascompared to the aforesaid conventional furnace.

With the invention thus explained, it is apparent that variousmodifications and variations can be made without departing from thespirit of the present invention. It is therefore intended that theinvention be limited only as recited in the appended claims.

1. A furnace comprising: a furnace housing defining a combustion chambertherein, said combustion chamber having a round cross-section, saidfurnace housing being formed with at least two air inlets that are influid communication with said combustion chamber and that are angularlydisplaced from each other; and an air pipeline including at least twobranch pipes, each of which is connected to a respective one of said airinlets of said furnace housing and each of which extends in a tangentialdirection relative to the cross-section of said combustion chamber. 2.The furnace of claim 1, wherein said air inlets of said furnace housingare diametrically displaced from each other relative to thecross-section of said combustion chamber.
 3. The furnace of claim 2,wherein said furnace housing has top and bottom ends, said air inlets ofsaid furnace housing being disposed between said top and bottom ends ofsaid furnace housing and being different in height.
 4. The furnace ofclaim 3, wherein said furnace housing is further formed with a feedinlet that is in fluid communication with said combustion chamber andthat is angularly displaced from said air inlets, said furnace furthercomprising a feed pipe that is connected to said feed inlet of saidfurnace housing and that extends in a tangential direction relative tothe cross-section of said combustion chamber.
 5. The furnace of claim 4,wherein said feed inlet has a height less than that of one of said airinlets and greater than that of another of said air inlets.